Travel Guides

Museo Santuarios Andinos (Museum of Andean Sanctuaries)

This small museum's most famous attraction is the 600-year-old
frozen body of Juanita, the young Inca girl who was discovered in
near-perfect condition on top of the Ampato Volcano in 1995. She
was killed as a sacrificial offering to the mountain gods and
buried in a tomb with a number of funeral offerings that are also
on display in the museum, along with other ice mummies found on the
mountain. The body was encased in ice and preserved by the freezing
temperatures on the 20,000-foot (6,000m) peak for hundreds of
years, and was found after a volcanic eruption melted the ice and
exposed the tomb. The Ice Maiden is displayed in a refrigerated
glass case, and analysis of her DNA has afforded great insights
into the Inca culture. An interesting video documents the discovery
and is included as part of the compulsory tour. These amazing
mummies are certainly reason enough to visit the museum, but there
are other interesting artefacts, gathered at archaeological sites
in the surrounding mountains, on show as well. Juanita is not
always on display - every year the body undergoes restoration - but
another maiden takes her place in the collection. The museum is
located very near the Plaza des Armas in Arequipa, in the historic
area of the city.